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It was just like David and Goliath, if Goliath would have won a split decision.

The Edmonton Oilers gave the best team in the NHL everything it could handle Monday, but just as the underdogs were about to shock the hockey world with the biggest upset of the season, they were beaned in the forehead with Marian Hossa’s sling-shot.

Giants 3, Little Guys 2 (OT).

“For us it would have been a big statement game if we were able to break the streak,” said Sam Gagner, after the Blackhawks extended their record for the best start in NHL history to 16-0-3 at the expense of the scrappy, but not quite scrappy enough, Oilers.

“Once we didn’t do that (beat them in regulation) we wanted to find a way to do it in overtime, and we weren’t able to do that.

“It’s unfortunate that we squandered the lead, you feel it’s a point lost because of that.”

All the Oilers get is a single for getting the game to extra time. Even though they took Chicago to the brink, they don’t even have much for the moral victory column.

“It’s an excellent point against the strongest team in the NHL right now,” said head coach Ralph Krueger. “But of course you feel pain having the lead going into the third period. It’s definitely something you dream and believe, that you can close it.”

Even though it was a 15-0-3 team against a 7-7-3 team, it was no gimme. The Oilers, who won three of four meetings last season, handing the Blackhawks a pair of significant beatings (9-2 and 8-4) in the process, led 1-0 in the first and 2-1 in the third on goals from Jeff Petry and Nail Yakpuov, but couldn’t hold off a determined Chicago team.

“But they are an amazingly powerful team,” said Krueger. “They never let up at all.”

Edmonton did. They were outshot 16-5 in the third period and overtime as a winning team found a way to win and a losing team did what it does best.

“I thought we played a good game, but every mistake we made they scored a goal on,. We can’t be happy with that,” said defenceman Ladislav Smid. “We had some trouble in our zone. That’s been an issue from day one and it cost us a couple of goals.”

The back-breaker came in OT, with Petry coasting behind the net when his guy, Hossa, cut to the front and took three whacks at the puck before it went in.

“In four-on-four that’s all it takes,” said Krueger. “One time you slide too high out of position and it opens up. The rebound, we needed somebody to remain in front of the net. He had three cracks at it... two would have been enough.”

Being one goal away from the first-place team overall is a good sign, but losing by one goal in a league where most games are won and lost by one goal isn’t. They have to find a way to win.

“You have to bring your A game or you’re going to get beat,” said Jordan Eberle. “These guys were ripe for the picking, their second game in two nights. We could have easily beat them. That’s why it’s tough that the points were left out there.”

In a surprise move, Krueger went with Nikolai Khabibulin between the pipes and the hunch paid off. The veteran was one of Edmonton’s best players, stopping 31 of 34 shots.

“I really thought we had them,” he said, looking ahead to the eighth game of the trip, when the Oilers return to Chicago. “Maybe they’ll keep winning till we come back here. Then we’ll get ’em.”

Edmonton Oilers lose to Chicago Blackhawks in OT

The Edmonton Oilers came within one shot of pulling a major upset Monday, but Marian Hossa took it instead, giving the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 overtime victory at the United Center.

The Oilers, who won three of four meetings last season, handing the Blackhawks a pair of significant beatings (9-2 and 8-4) in the process, led 1-0 in the first and 2-1 in the third, but couldn’t hold off a determined Chicago team that improved it’s record to 16-0-3, the best start start in NHL history.

There were some fireworks early, with Jeff Petry scoring shorthanded at 4:28 (converting a Lennart Petrell rebound) to make it 1-0 before Patrick Kane scored on the same power play to square things up.

The only goal of the second came when Nail Yakupov, who’s proving dangerous at both ends of the ice, made up for a pair of ghastly giveaways by burying a world-class one-timer on an Edmonton power play at 14:17.

All the Oilers had to do was protect, or even expand on, a 2-1 lead aft

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Photos: Edmonton Oilers lose 3-2 on the road to the Chicago Blackhawks